Hi all – Ellen here. Usually Jonathan writes the blogs, but he is buzzing around getting your August and September orders ready. So, I am coming in for a chatty blog post to share a couple thoughts about preparing beef from a whole, half, or quarter. We usually recommend a quarter for 1-2 people, but we are proud to report we (2 people) have nearly finished our HALF for this year, and we are clearing out the chest freezer to get our next half.
I thought it might be interesting to share with you what we have left, trends I’ve noticed in how we go through our share, and how I plan to change our eating approach for next year.
What’s Left
Short ribs (4 lbs)
Korean style ribs (3 lbs)
Ground beef (10 lbs – rationing for a summer cook-out)
Bratwurst (2 lbs)
Rib steaks (1 lb)
Fajita meat (1 lb)
Soup bones (2 lbs)
Assortment of Denver, Tri Tip, and Chuck Eye steaks (love these for “steak and eggs”)
And of course… organs.
Trends
Alright, alright, so that is approximately 25 lbs of beef. Which sounds like a lot. BUT some of the cuts are quite a bit of bone, and we’re planning to use a good deal of the ground beef for a summer cook-out. So I think we’ll be scraping the freezer clean by the end of September and the arrival of our next share.
We love roasts. Those were the first to be entirely finished. If we had not been rationing our ground beef, we’d be nearly out of that by now too.
Also steaks. I am saving those last precious rib steaks for a special treat – on the grill next time my parents visit. My mom does perfect steaks on the grill. The fajita meat was hidden under some other stuff. That’ll get used up pretty quickly, too.
Soup bones are a favorite, but we hardly make any soup in the summer. I imagine we’ll use these up on a nice beef, corn, chili stew the first cool fall week.
I clearly have a lot of ribs left. Ribs. Ribs are my sticking-point. They are so tasty but they require… forethought and a time commitment. Korean style ribs do best with a soak in marinade and a slow roast. For short ribs it’s usually a spice rub and slow roast. I have learned that if I have a choice between cooking ribs and cooking anything else, I generally choose anything else. Just a mental hurdle. Not the taste, not the texture, those are both excellent.
The Plan
Here are my 3 resolutions to use “sticking-point” beef cuts.
Keep an herb mix or spice rub (homemade or bought) on-hand.
Pull meat out of the freezer to the fridge when I think out meals for the week. Thawing + slow roast (like for ribs) often equals me not bothering to cook it
Pick a go-to menu. Consider a standard preparation and set of sides, until it becomes less of a mental hurdle. I could say, “Bbq spice-rub oven roasted beef ribs we always have with roasted potatoes and buttery carrots. Zucchini if it’s in season”. One less thing to plan.
Also – just a side note. These cattle look GOOD. I’m not out there working with them every day, but days when I do go I am pleased by how they look. Stout, sturdy, shiny coats, not too bothered by flies. I mean, these are some healthy looking animals. And the pasture looks great. Some areas with weaker grass stands last year are coming back stronger this year under Jonathan’s pasture management. I say all this to brag on Jonathan’s excellent work and to share my excitement for 2020’s delicious beef. Jonathan really has a knack for raising grass-fed cattle, and you can see the results.
OK bragging over! Enjoy your beef!